NDP deputy leader Libby Davies says that after 40 years of public service, including 18 years as a member of Parliament for Vancouver East, it's time for her to move on. "I know it's time for me to pass the torch. I will not be seeking re-election in the next federal election," Davies said in a written statement Friday. The long-time NDP MP thanked her constituents for electing her even as she took on difficult policy issues over the years. "I have taken on tough issues, like the need for drug policy reform and I remember being told, 'You'll never get re-elected if you take on issues like this.' "But the people of East Vancouver have stood by me," she said. Davies, who is also the party's health critic, was recently credited for pushing forward with an NDP Opposition motion to help thalidomide survivors, which received unanimous support in the House of Commons earlier this month.

OTTAWA – The government will roll out legislation Thursday which would significantly raise the bar for groups wanting to set up injection sites where illegal drugs can be used with medical oversight, clean equipment and without legal consequence. NDP health critic Libby Davies said Wednesday Insite is an "important program" that "has saved people's' lives." "It's much better for people to be in a medically supervised facility when they're injecting and not dying from needless and preventable overdoses," she said.

This is the second in the series, “Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside: Past and Present.” Libby Davies, former Vancouver city councillor and former NDP MP for the riding in which the Downtown Eastside is located, discusses the past and the present of the community. Davies recalls the impact of activist and poet Bud Osborn and reflects upon the struggle to establish Insite, Canada’s first safe injection site. She goes on to discuss the impact of the ’90s austerity budget — and the resulting challenges still to be addressed.